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Monthly Archives: December 2012

Words cannot even begin to describe how devastating our world can sometimes be. What happened today in Connecticut is unfathomable and such a tragedy. I can’t seem to understand how sick a person must be to believe that they have the right to take a way a person’s life, let alone the lives of 20 children! My heart and thoughts go out to the victims, families, and all those affected by this detrimental shooting.

When things like this happen it really makes you take a step back and realize that most of us take our lives for granted, especially when our lives could be ended in a split second. I think it is crucial to remember that no matter how hard life seems to be, and no matter how angry you might be at someone, there is always someone else who is worse off than you are. Life is definitely precious yet extremely fragile. I for one will make more of a conscious effort to appreciate my life more and love both the good and the bad.

Make sure your life is fulfilled each day, and don’t wait until your older to be happy and enjoy your life, for you never know how short life can actually be. Forget about grudges, laugh a lot, and say I love you each day to the people you care most about.

The dark and gloomy weather, the empty bars deprived of attention, the Starbucks’ that run out of coffee, the overcrowded 24 hour libraries, and the purely delusional students who are either sitting in a corner crying or sleeping in their books. That’s right people it is the end of FINALS WEEK!

This is a perfectly accurate depiction

For some people, finals aren’t a big deal and therefore continue to carry on life as usual…

But for most of the students at my school, including myself, finals are both a trying and detrimental time of our lives.

Never before have I seen people do the strangest things, and think the most obscure thoughts then during finals week. Clearly this delusion we all experience takes a toll on us and we treat ourselves horribly when, we in fact should be doing the opposite in this crucial time.

Finals are important, for they push us to the very edge and teach us many things. For example, they cause some people to realize they hate their current major, while on the other hand they can motivate people to want to learn even more. In my case, they caused me to have a severe case of paranoia, yet motivated me to become further involved with activities involving my major…aka cancer research.

Finals week has an act for bringing out the worst in people. We treat our bodies horribly by getting only 2-4 hours of sleep a night, we drink way too much caffeine, we eat only 1-2 meals a day which consist of something fattening and fast to eat, and we are basically immobile for a week or two.

After doing this to myself this semester I decided that I will never do that again, and change my ways. I think that with a few simple changes, we can get rid of, or at least reduce our “finals blues.”

All three meals should be eaten each day, and they should have nutritional consistence. It only takes about 10-15 min. to cook a meal, and it is not worth it to spend extra money and spare your health just to save you a few more minutes of studying time.

Make a promise to yourself that you will get at least 6 hours of sleep each night. Your brain and body need this sleep in order for you to be a successful test taker.

Listen to soothing music as you study. I recommend instrumental piano or string quartet versions of your favorite songs.

DISABLE YOUR FACEBOOK AND TWITTER ACCOUNTS

Keep your body as active as possible, whether that means taking an hour of your day to exercise, or even taking a few laps around the library every half our or so.

Make realistic goals for each day of studying and make an organized schedule to get rid of unnecessary stress.

Try to see the big picture when things may not be going your way; While these finals are important, they are not the end of the world and believe it or not, life will go on regardless of what grades you get.

So congratulations to all who have completed their fall finals and to all a happy and well deserved winter break!

To start off this holiday season, my roommates and I decided to go to Haile Plantation in Gainesville to take a picture with Santa, except we brought Hanukkah signs and decorations with us to make it an official Christmukkah holiday card photo! (photo will be posted soon) I plan to celebrate this year’s Hanukkah beginning with all my friends in Gainesville and ending with my family in South Florida. There will be ugly sweater parties, Rugrats Hanukkah Special, and delicious meals!

Hanukkah is a time to spend with your family and loved ones. So make sure to eat 5 million potato latkes, light each candle, spin your dreidels, and collect as much gelt as you can!